Personal Development, Health & Physical Education

Personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) is mandatory from Kindergarten to Year 10.

PDHPE provides students with opportunities to explore issues that are likely to impact on the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others – now and in the future. Students also participate in challenging and enjoyable physical activity, improving their capacity to move with skill and confidence.

Stage 4

In Years 7 and 8, PDHPE is a compulsory core subject at Normanhurst Boys High School. Students engage in a wide range of theory and practical experiences that build the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity.

Across Stage 4, students explore identity, friendships, respectful relationships, health and wellbeing, navigating adolescence, water safety and risk, substance awareness and mental health. Practical learning includes fundamental movement skills, athletics, dance, striking games, net and court games, invasion games, recreational and Australian sports. The Stage 4 units include: Growing Together, The Healthiest Version of Me, Navigating Adolescence, and Risky Business in Year 7, and Active Living, Respectful Relationships, Party Safe, and R U Ok? Mental Health in Year 8. Students participate in a variety of practical activities including athletics, minor games, social dance, recreational sports, striking games, net and court games, invasion games and summer sports, with ongoing practical assessment integrated throughout the year.

Stage 5

In Stage 5, students continue their compulsory study of PDHPE and further develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that shape their health, wellbeing, safety and participation in physical activity. Learning builds on Stage 4 foundations, with a greater focus on decision-making, respectful relationships, risk, fitness, movement strategies, health literacy and real-world responsibility.

Across Year 9, students engage with units such as Foundations in Fitness, Facing Risk, Skills in Motion and Respect, Relationships and Responsible Choices, alongside practical experiences in athletics, invasion games, Indigenous games, modified games and global sports. In Year 10, students explore Road Safety, Empowerment, Respect and Resilience, Nutrition and Health Literacy, and Party Smart & Life Beyond Year 10, supported by practical learning in athletics, social dance, striking games, net and court games and recreational sports. Ongoing practical assessment is integrated throughout Stage 5, with major assessment tasks and a yearly examination in each year.

Stage 6

In Years 11 and 12, Health and Movement Science is offered as an HSC subject, with a focus on the factors influencing health, wellbeing and physical performance. Students investigate the health of Australians and global health priorities, drawing on principles from epidemiology, social justice, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course combines theoretical and practical learning in areas such as anatomy, biomechanics, psychology, and skill acquisition. Students examine how these concepts enhance individual and team performance, prevent injury and promote lifelong physical activity. Students will have the opportunity to visit a local sports science lab to conduct a variety of physiological and biomechanical testing to assist with their study.

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